Anyone who has wrestled with the tetralemma of "Whether after death the Buddha exists, does not exist, both exists and does not exist, or neither exists nor does not exist", etc. might find it fun to have a look. It's a bit zenny, but plenty of relevance to the Suttas. Despite the author's reassuringly breezy tone, you might want a cup of strong tea first...

Last edited by Sam Vara on Wed May 07, 2014 7:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

A philosophical analysis of Buddhist notions : the Buddha and Wittgenstein, by A.D.P. Kalansuriya (1987).

There's also a 1993 paper by the same author, "The Buddha and Wittgenstein: A brief philosophical exegesis", which concludes by saying that

...it would be fair to say that Buddhism can be best appreciated by using a sotoriological conceptual framework. It would be a mistake to unravel Buddhism through the sole use of epistemological or ontological notions.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko